With Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett signed to solidify the rotation for 2015, the Pittsburgh Pirates shifted their attention to the bullpen by acquiring 29-year-old left-hander Antonio Bastardo from the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league pitcher Joely Rodriguez.
Earlier this week, the Phillies were reportedly talking to the Boston Red Sox about trading Bastardo for minor league infielder and Philadelphia area native Sean Coyle.
Bastardo has spent all six of his Major League seasons with the Phillies. He surrendered just 43 hits in 64 innings over 67 games last season when he recorded a 3.94 ERA and struck out 11.4 hitters per nine innings along with walking 4.8 per nine innings. Effective against hitters from both sides of the plate, Bastardo limited lefties to a .175 average and righties to a .195 mark. His road ERA was 3.58, markedly better than his 4.21 ERA at Citizen’s Bank Park.
The 23-year-old Rodriguez is a left-hander who has pitched for six seasons in the Pirates minor league system, spending 2014 at Double-A Altoona.
